Two towers loom large in Walid Siti\u2019s artwork, one manmade \u2013 the 9th century Malwiya minaret of Samarra, encompassing both the hubris of political power and the genius of an unknown architect; and the mountains of his native Kurdistan, formed by nature but central to the myth and identity of the region\u2019s residents.<\/p>\n
The mountains overshadowed Siti\u2019s childhood in Dohuk in the 1950s and 1960s and were often painful reminders of the personal impact of the political situation in Iraq. The physical presence of the minaret at Samarra was more enigmatic; he never visited it while growing up in Iraqi Kurdistan, instead seeing the monument from the bus to and from art school.
\nSiti found power in these two forms through their continual reworking in his practice; he continues to study them through hundreds of sketches, leading to a painting or a sculpture. Siti\u2019s compositions force the viewer to focus on the building blocks of his towers, this being his practice, whether they are acrylic lines of paint or aluminium wires.<\/p>\n
The cyclical nature of Siti\u2019s practice brings the constant hope of renewal. No matter what landscape or context he finds himself in, for Siti, there is always metal, wood, clay or dust from which to build a tower or a mountain.<\/p>\n
To 3 February.<\/p>\n
Right: Walid Siti, Suppleness of a Mountain (2023)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"